Spring-lifting device



Aug. 25, 1925.

M. UHER SPRING LIFTING DEVICE Filed July 14, 1924 5 Sheets-sheaf '1llf'lfrzess:

Aug. 25, 1925.

M. UHER SPRING LIFTING DEVICE I 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 25, 1925.1,550,763

M; UHER SPRING LIFTING DEVICE Filed July 14. 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 4Z$(fi72 for:

METAL a QRNNQQ Aug. 25, 1925; 1,550,763

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Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

UNITED STATES MICHAEL.UHEB, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPRING-LIFTING DEVICE.

Application filed. July 14,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL UHER, a citizen of the Republic ofCzechoslovakia, and a resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook,and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Spring-Lifting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for removingsupporting springs from railway cars and refers more particularly tomechanism whereby the supporting leaf springs located on the trucks ofrailroad passenger cars are removed and replaced in a minimum of time.

On account of the rigidly and weight of the leaf spring structuremounted on the trucks of railway passenger cars, combined with theirinaccessibility, it has been a considerable problem to remove a set ofsprings, for instance, to repair same. Various clamping devices andapparatus have been used, by means of which the springs were removed,but the time and labor cost has been prohibitive.

I have devised an apparatus by which these springs can be removed andreplaced with a minimum delay and elimination of most of the labor cost.The salient features of the device include a movable stand for myapparatus, which can be wheeled from place to place very readily; meansfor simultaneously actuating the gripping members, means for raising orlowering the frame supporting the gripping members, the entire apparatuscapable of being readily assembled and disassembled.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the device showing the grippingmembers in position.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the lines 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4c is an elevational view from one end of the device.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation of the gearing for actuating thegripping jaws. Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken on the lines 66 ofFig. 5.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 1 designates the supporting framewhich may be of any rigid metal, having the wheels 2. Midway of itsheight on one end of the frame may be mounted a stub shaft 3 on 1924.Serial No. 725,760.

which a pinion gear 4 is supported. This pinion 4 meshes in turn with alarger gear 5 mounted on a stub shaft 6 on which stub shaft is alsomounted a second pinion gear 7 adapted to mesh with a larger gear 8mounted on shaft 9. On the opposite end of the shaft 9 is a bevel gear10 adapted to mesh with similar bevel gears 11 and 12. These bevel gears11 and 12 are mounted on the shafts 11 and 12, screw threaded to rotatein opposite directions.

The vertical shafts 11 and 12 have mounted thereon brackets 13 and 14:.On these brackets 13 and 14 are loosely mounted the arms 15, 16, 17 and18, arranged in sets, two (upper and lower) on both sides of the frame.Each set is pivotally mounted on the spool roller 18 moving on track 18intermediate their length as shown at 19. On the extremity of each armare pivotally mounted gripping or clamping elements or jaws 20, theselatter in turn being pivotally connected as shown at 21. Removable crossbars 22 may be provided to connect the jaws on opposite sides of theframe.

The operation and actuation of the gripping elements should beimmediately apparent. As shown in Fig. 1, the device is in positionready for use. The stub shaft 3 is rotated in a clockwise direction, byany suitable means such as the hand crank 23, or the shaft 3 may beconnected with any suitable source of power, such as electric power,steam, air, etc. Through the arrangement of gearing described, thegripping elements will be actuated and will be pressed closer together,acting as a clamp to assist in collapsing the springs designated as 24:,to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The entire frame 1 andstructure mounted thereon is wheeled outward, thus removing the spring.It must be understood that the appurtenances for securing the springs tothe trucks of the railway car have first been removed. At the variouspivotal points, the entire clamping structure is held together withremovable bolts, pins or the like, so that in case of breakage to onepart, it can be immediately and easily replaced. The

cross bars 22 are also preferably removable.

positioned between the clamping elements and the shafts 11 and 12, andmounted on the frame 1. In this yoke is the vertical screw threadedshaft 27 having on its upper end the hand wheel 28 and on its lower endthe nut 29. On two sides of the nut adjacent the yoke are attached theflexible chain, cable or rope 30 communicating with the pulley wheels 31and 32 mounted respectively on shafts 33 and Set, the opposite end ofsaid flexible element 30 being securely fastened to the stationaryframe 1. The arrangement is such that as the hand wheel 28 rotates theshaft 27, the nut 29 will raise or lower, and through the flexibleelement and pulley arrangement raising or lowering the movable structureof my device. The shafts 3st are mounted on the stationary frame 1,whereas the shafts 33 are mounted on the movable structure. The reasonfor providing means for raising and lowering the device is toaccommodate it to cars now in use of various heights.

The entire construction may be made of a heavy rigid steel or iron, thevarious parts being accessible at all times, and l have described onespecific use for which my apparatus may be utilized. It must beunderstood, however, that the apparatus is for use wherever it isnecessary to exert a uniform clamping pressure on anything under highspring tension.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with asupporting frame, of a vertically movable auxiliary supportingstructure, means for raising or lowering the movable supportingstructure, spaced gripping elements adapted to be contracted or expandedin a vertical plane connected with arms projecting from the movablestructure, independently operated mcans separate from the raising andlowering means for actuating the spaced gripping elements to exert orrelease pressure on the spring structure of a railway car.

2. In apparatus of the character de scribed, the combination with asupporting frame, of vertically mounted screw threaded shafts positionedthereon, screw threaded brackets on the vertically mounted shafts,projecting arms intermediately pivoted communicating between thebrackets, spaced gripping elements also having intermediate pivotalconnection pivotally connected to the projecting arms, and means forsimultaneously rotating the screw threaded shafts to increase ordecrease the space between the spaced gripping elements.

3. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with asupporting frame, of a vertically movable auxiliary supportingstructure, means for raising or lowering the movable structure,projecting arms pivotally mounted on the movable structure andintermediately pivotally connected, having spaced gripping jaws adaptedto contract and expand in a vertical plane, means for actuating the armsand jaws to contract the space between said jaws to exert a pressure onthe spring structure of a railway car to contract and remove same.

In apparatus of the character described, the combination with asupporting frame, of vertically mounted screw threaded shafts positionedthereon, brackets threaded on the shafts, projecting arms connected withthe brackets having pivotal con ncction intermediate their length,pivotally connected gripping elements communicating with said projectingarms, and means for simultaneously rotating the screw threaded shafts toactuate the gripping elements.

5. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a mainsupporting frame, of a Vertically movable auxiliary frame having a screwthreaded vertical shaft mounted thereon, a screw threaded bracketregistering with said vertical shaft and having compensating connectionwith the main supporting frame, means for rotating the shaft to raise orlower the vertically movable auxiliary frame, projecting arms havingpivotal connection intermediate their length, spaced gripping elementsfunctioned by the arms adapted to be contracted or expanded in avertical plane, means operated independently of the lowering and raisingmeans for actuating the projecting arms.

6. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with asupporting frame, of upper and lower vertically mounted shafts thereonhaving an intermediate connection to synchronize movement thereof,brackets threaded on each of the vertically mounted shafts, projectingarms intermediate-1y pivoted connected to the brackets, spaced grippingelements also intermediately pivoted connected to the brackets and meansfor imparting movement to the intermediate connection between thevertically mounted shafts to simultaneously rotate the shafts toincrease or decrease the space between the spaced gripping elements.

MIOHAEL UHER.

